


the perfect two

by MsFluorescent



Category: Dragon Ball
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Angst with a Happy Ending, Canon Compliant, Character Death, Drabble Collection, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, Flirting, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Friendship/Love, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mutual Pining, Not Canon Compliant, Pining, Romance, Smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-27
Updated: 2021-01-14
Packaged: 2021-03-11 00:09:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,645
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28355976
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MsFluorescent/pseuds/MsFluorescent
Summary: 'cause you're the one for meand i'm the one for youyou take the both of usand we're the perfect two(A collection of drabbles for my current OTP: Goku/Vegeta <3)rating will change
Relationships: Son Goku/Vegeta (Dragon Ball)
Comments: 9
Kudos: 16





	1. when words fail

**Author's Note:**

> this first drabble is based off of what I found on Pixiv, I’m basically just translating with a little more added because I thought it was super fucking cute and I wanna share it, but it’s in Japanese. All credits to the artist:  
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A cough is expelled from his lungs as his back slams against the floor. Vegeta’s fist crushes the wall next to his face. “It’s my win today.”

Goku exhales a laugh. “Yeah, yer right.” He sits up, rolling his neck. “Thanks for bein’ my trainin’ partner, Vegeta! Next time, it’ll be my turn t’ win!”

“Hmph. Next time, it’ll _still_ be me.”

Goku chuckles in response, hopping nimbly to his feet. “Well, I should prob’ly get back. Y’know how Chichi gets. ‘Til next time, Vegeta!”

“Mmh.” A pause that only lasts a millisecond but feels longer, ensues.

“Wait,” Vegeta says, stopping Goku in his tracks. The younger Saiyan turns around, two fingers already to his forehead, a quizzical look on his face.

_“Do you know why I team up with you?”_

_“Eh? T’ become stronger, right?”_

_“There’s that, but if it were just that, I could do that alone. There’s another reason for it.” Vegeta takes a deep breath. “It’s because I’m with you, Kakarot.”_

_Goku gapes at him, an adorable peach flushing his face. “Vegeta…” He sounds so dumbfounded and looks so fucking cute, Vegeta wants to kiss him._

(Except there’s no way in hell he’s saying ㅡ or doing ㅡ that.)

“Nothing. Hurry up and go home.”

“Oh, ‘kay, if ya say so."

Goku usually jumps headlong into things without a second thought, but this time, he pauses. "Oh, Vegeta…”

“What?”

_“If I said I din’t wanna go home, what would y’ do?” Goku can’t meet his eyes. His face feels like it’s on fire._

_Suddenly, he’s being spun around and Vegeta is wrapping him into a tight hug. “This.”_

_His heart thuds a quick, steady rhythm in his chest and butterflies emerge from cocoons and take off in his abdomen._

(Hah, he fuckin' wished. He wasn't sayin' that shit.)

“Actually, never mind. Later!” And then he disappears in a flash, leaving Vegeta alone to his thoughts.

"I didn't say anything again today."

Goku arrives in his room; he's all alone.

"I din't say nothin' again today."


	2. through hell and high water

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> doom guy and his man :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this idea is based off of Doom™️ the video game

"Y'ready?"

"I'm always ready." 

Goku grins at Vegeta, holding his hand out for Vegeta to take; he does.

They face the gate of Hell together, weapons clutched in the hands that aren't connected; backup weapons slung over their shoulders.

Skulls cemented into the vantablack archway beckon them in. Their vision doesn't extend beyond the gate's entrance, the doorway seemingly entering into nothingness. Once they stepped through here, there was no turning back, no way out.

At least not until they completed their mission.

“Hell or bust,” Goku murmurs in an exhale. He exchanges a nod with Vegeta and together, they walk through the Arch of Death. What lies beyond is certainly _not_ nothingness.

The world immediately around them is a barren desert of blood red, and even through the specialized suits made by Miss B, they can tell the air is anything but breathable. “I can’t even tell what the composition is,” Vegeta says, tapping the watch specialized for analyzing their surroundings.

“'M gonna go with nothin’ good,” Goku replies, sharp eyes surveying the landscape. It’s quiet; _too_ quiet. There doesn’t appear to be any lifeforms at all. Well, maybe expecting the _living_ to be in Hell was a bit of a stretch, but he doesn’t even see any of the demons he knows exist.

“We should keep going,” Vegeta tells him. They continue to walk, their senses on hyperdrive. “Whaddya reckon we do when we do find one of ‘em?” Goku asks his boyfriend eventually, unable to stay quiet for too long.

His sensitive ears then pick up a guttural growl, terrifyingly inhumane. Vegeta grabs his gun and the _bang_ of the shot is soon followed by a screech and the nasty sound of flesh being ripped apart. “You do that.” 

Goku turns around, taking in the disfigured body of one of the demons of hell, a scraggly, lean thing. 

"Y' dun think there's any negotiatin' with 'em?" Vegeta sighs, leaning into Goku. His boyfriend was one big softie. "No. We're here to eliminate them, then get out. Sorry baby."

Goku gives him a lopsided grin. "Ain't yer fault! 'Ts fine, if 'm doin' it with ya, I'll be fine!"

"If you want, I can kill most of them. But I'll still need your support."

"If it came down t'ya or them, I'd pick ya without question. I gotcha, 'Geta."

Vegeta lets himself smile. "I know."

A sudden wind, hot and dry, gusts past them. What smells like burnt and rotten flesh wafts in on the breeze. They whirl around just in time to see a sizable horde of demons running at them.

"I'm gonna need your assistance sooner than I thought." Vegeta grabs the shotgun and wastes no time firing as he walks forward. Goku follows his lead with no hesitation. He would do anything for Vegeta; it didn't matter how much he may not want to do it.

Vegeta never asked him for anything, and Goku wanted to give him everything.

They plow through the demons' numbers, the steady sound of gunshots ringing throughout the wasteland.

Upon emerging victorious, Vegeta exhales in exasperation. "That'll most likely stir the rest of them. We've got our work cut out for us."

They blast through the armies of Hell with the reckoning force of legions. And it was no surprise.

They are Goku and Vegeta.

Apart, sure they were strong. But together, they were invincible. Neither Heaven nor Hell and all their spawn could stand a chance so long as they were together. So long as Goku and Vegeta lived to protect each other and fight alongside one another.

Standing amongst the bodies of their unearthly victims, triumphant after the victory over the Lord of Demons, Goku grabs Vegeta into a searing kiss.

His partner, his life.

"I would follow ya anywhere."

"Through hell and high water."


	3. i won't fucking say it

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> vegeta is basically meg lol

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this drabble is based off of the bop Won't Say I'm in Love from _Hercules_

"You like him, don't you? Goku," Piccolo says, matter-of-factly. Vegeta snaps a glare to him so quickly, he might have actually broken his neck.

"What the fuck are you on about, green bean?"

"I've seen the way you look at him. Personally, I could care less, but watching you both pine like lovesick idiots is sickening."

Vegeta's face flushes hotly. "Shove it, Namek. Kakarot and I don't _like_ each other!"

Piccolo side-eyes him. "Okay, Vegeta. Whatever you say." And then the green menace takes off.

The _audacity_ of this bastard. Speaking bullshit like that, Vegeta ought to kill him.

_He_ , the Prince of All Saiyans, crushing on Kakarot, the _third-class_? Give him a break. Vegeta felt many things about Kakarot, but affection was not one of them.

Hate, for sure. He hated how much stronger Kakarot was, hated how he was always steps ahead of Vegeta, and despite all this, was still one of the sweetest people he had ever known. What kind of man like that existed?

Frustration was also a big one. Kakarot pissed him off. Him and his dopey grin, his stupidly innocent heart ㅡ this _grown ass man_ could still ride that same damn cloud as when he was a child ㅡ and his exuberance over literally anything.

Not to mention, Kakarot _never_ quit. At least not without some good reason for it. This was also the same man who hired one of the best assassins to target himself for _more training_.

Kakarot was simultaneously the bravest, strongest, and kindest man Vegeta had ever met, and it _pissed him off_.

Fuck having a crush on him, Vegeta wanted to throttle him. Wanted to wrap his hands around that stupidly broad neck, and watch the life drain out of him.

Yeah, that was it.

Vegeta wanted to kill him. He certainly didn't want to do anything stupid like kiss those ridiculously plump lips; that would be ludicrous.

《¤》

Trunks, Pan, and Bulla were currently training with Goku, who fit in perfectly with the kids. Vegeta watches from afar, arms crossed over his chest.

"When are you gonna tell him?" Goten's voice chimes next to his ear. Vegeta whirls around with a punch for his abdomen ready, but the devil spawn jumps away nimbly.

"What do you mean." He didn't even want to bother raising his voice in a question.

"My dad," Goten says, giving him a shit-eating smirk he would definitely punch off if he could. "When're you gonna tell him y'like him?"

Vegeta bristles. "I do. _Not_. Like him. Now get out of here before I decide it's worth risking Trunks' anger to punch you."

Goten just gives him a knowing smirk, but before Vegeta can make good on his promise, the brat skips back to the group, leaving Vegeta to stew on his own.

He scoffs and turns around to take off, having had enough of being around people for today, when he hears his name called.

"'Geta!"

_Oh great._ The one person he _definitely_ wanted to see right now.

"Don't call me that!"

"Aww, dun be s'cold, Vegeta!" Kakarot claps a hand on his shoulder cheerily, as per fucking usual. "'Ts a cute nickname!"

Vegeta is trying his utmost to ignore the heat on his face. " _Cute_? _Nothing_ about me is cute and I'll shove your head up your ass to prove it," he hisses.

Kakarot holds his hands up in surrender, a placating grin on his face. "Heh, sorry." A pause. "But, yer pretty cute."

Vegeta sputters, short-circuits. "Well, see ya around, 'Geta!" Kakarot takes off with another wave.

This little shit was always making fun of him.

Vegeta's heart is racing and he suddenly feels _too warm_ from head to toe. It must be anger. Of course. No other reason for it.

Fuck Kakarot and his stupid confidence and easy compliments. Fuck the way he always knew how to catch Vegeta off-guard.

Like the time when they had gotten absorbed by Buu as Vegito. _God_ , he couldn’t stop thinking about that, no matter how much time had passed. 

Sharing a body with Kakarot had been bad enough, but even after they had been forcibly separated by the Majin’s bodily composition, the way Kakarot had slid up to Vegeta’s side, cheek to cheek, as they combined their attack remained ingrained in his memory.

It was likely because the idiot had forgotten that they had been separated, but the feeling of Kakarot’s skin against his ㅡ outside of the context of a spar ㅡ had made Vegeta’s stomach churn and an uncomfortable warmth bloom in his lower abdomen.

Even just remembering it made a shiver run down his spine, because he hated the feeling of Kakarot touching him. _Obviously_.

《¤》

" _Ne_ , papa, you like Uncle Goku, don't you?" Bulla springs the question on him at breakfast one morning, making Vegeta choke on his food.

"Where did you get that _ridiculous_ idea?"

"Pan told me, and she's right. You always want to be with him and whenever you are, you're happier than I've ever seen you."

Vegeta hates that he can't directly argue that, but he's still going to argue. "When have I _ever_ said I want to be with him?"

Bulla gives him a sweet smile. "You don't have to. You and _nii-chan_ are similar, and Trunks looks at Goten when he thinks he's not looking the same way you look at Uncle."

Vegeta's too dumbfounded to berate his daughter, and she leaves with another grin, abandoning Vegeta to his own thoughts.

_What was with everyone?_

He didn't fucking like Kakarot. Why did people think he did?

So he liked to spar with Kakarot. So what? They were the only full-blood Saiyans on this Earth. Kakarot could easily take what Vegeta could give; it was fun to spar with him, and since they both wanted nothing more than to train, it made sense that it would be a common occurrence.

It was obvious these guys just didn't understand the connection he and Kakarot had.

They worked well together, and against each other. They were the perfect partners.

In sparring, he means.

Perfect training partners were all they ever were, and all they ever would be.

《¤》

"Hey 'Geta? D'ya… I dunno, hate me?" Goku isn't looking at Vegeta as he asks this, keeping his gaze trained firmly on the ground as though they held the most interesting blades of grass he'd ever seen.

Vegeta's knee-jerk reply of " _Obviously_ " sits on his tongue, but he realizes that he can't quite bring himself to say it. He turns to look at Kakarot, and _really_ look at him.

An expression Vegeta doesn't see often is displayed on Kakarot's face, a faint hesitation. He looks shy, another adjective Vegeta didn't think Kakarot even had in his vocabulary.

Vegeta thinks about Goku's question. Certainly at one point in his life, he would have said yes without hesitation.

It was a little more complicated now.

Kakarot frustrated him, but he also excited him. Being with Kakarot was an adrenaline rush of the best kind ㅡ and that was saying something, considering Vegeta's been in the thick of battle since he was a child. Vegeta didn't think there was anyone else he enjoyed sparring with more than Kakarot.

Vegeta didn't hate him, didn't consider them friends, and _certainly_ didn't like him.

So where did that leave them?

Kakarot fidgets more the longer the silence is dragged out. Vegeta chews on his lip thoughtfully. "No, I don't hate you."

Those five words are apparently the magic ones, because Kakarot's face instantly shifts. A beam crosses his face and he finally stops staring down the grass, turning to Vegeta instead.

"Oh, _good_! I wouldn't know what t'do if ya hated me."

"I don't like you either, though." Vegeta blurts out, and instantly wants to blast a hole and bury himself in it.

Goku just grins. "Yeah, I gotcha!" Seeing the carefree smile on his best rival's (and friend's) face, Vegeta suddenly feels rather stupid for agonizing about stupid trivialities like infatuation.

The relationship he and Kakarot shared was indescribable. It wasn't as simple as 'hate' or 'love', or anything in between. Even his attraction to Kakarot was not merely explained away. It was a bond that ran deeper than any interaction they could have had. They were kindred down to their very DNA, even their unique body composition.

Vegeta, the Prince of all Saiyans, and Kakarot, the strongest warrior in the universe. They were an unstoppable pair.

Vegeta didn't like Kakarot; there was just nobody else he'd rather get stronger with. He didn't have a crush on him; Kakarot was just the only one he could truly connect with. Even when Vegeta didn't understand the things Kakarot did, he understood Kakarot nonetheless.

Vegeta didn't love him; that Earthling word wasn't enough to describe the depth of what he felt for Kakarot.

Theirs was the greatest rivalry and the deepest connection. It was beyond the trifles of emotion. What they had was fundamental; it was part of what made Goku, Goku, and Vegeta, Vegeta.

He was entangled in Kakarot's existence; the same way Kakarot was entwined in his.

Vegeta wasn't in love.


	4. scenes from my memory

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **trigger warning** : murder, past character death, suicidal thoughts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is based off of Dream Theater's concept album _Metropolis pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory_ with my own little twist.
> 
> I _highly_ recommend you listen to it:  
> [album](https://open.spotify.com/album/1QZi8laY96nhaeGSklvN4D?si=jhExb7UyRUakqqbfKQA72A)

_Onyx irises once full of light stare lifelessly back at him. A strong body lies on his lap, now drained of the energy once thrumming through it._

_A primal scream, entrenched in agony, rips out of him. The love of his life, lost in his arms._

_All he can remember clearly are the eyes, and a voice ㅡ childish, cheerful, entirely trusting. At least until they were snuffed out._

_Who... are you?_

《¤》

Vegeta growls under his breath, glaring at the mountain of papers in front of him. A glance at his clock tells him he's been here for _way_ too long.

He weighs the pros and cons of strangling his boss. He decides against it rather reluctantly, but makes a plan to pick up something strong on the way home.

"Mr. Vegeta, do you have time?" Satan's ass-wiper himself is standing at Vegeta's door, and it's all Vegeta can do not to tell him to fuck off.

"What is it… sir?" He adds the last word with some difficulty.

"We're opening a new branch, so I'm transferring you over there. The flight leaves next week."

_Jesus_ , it's a good thing Vegeta had nobody else to worry about, given how little notice he had gotten.

"Uh, okay. Where is it, if I may ask?"

"Japan." Vegeta is instantly on edge at the knowing smile his boss sends him. "A place you know well, I suspect."

A week after finds him on a plane ride to Japan, his final destination still unknown to him. The piece of shit didn't tell him anything, and his ticket indicated that they would be landing in Narita Airport, which he didn't think he knew _that_ well.

At least it was first-class. Perks of being "on business".

Vegeta accepts a flute of champagne from the stewardess and leans his seat back, looking out the window. Once the champagne is finished and the blanket of clouds eventually grows tiresome, Vegeta decides he might as well take advantage of the space to properly fall asleep.

_"I love you, 'Geta."_

_"I know."_

_A bright smile. He understood. He never asked for more._

_Vegeta should've given him more, should've given him everything._

_Who took it all away?_

《¤》

Vegeta emerges from the airport to the bustle of Tokyo, and instantly flinches. This is definitely not a place he knew well, and for that he was glad. The amount of people here was sickening.

He follows the rest of the team to the bullet train that they'll use to get to the site of the new company. Approximately four hours later, they arrive at the small town dating back to the Edo period, Kurashiki.

The second Vegeta steps off, he's hit by a wave of nostalgia. It wasn't a single clear memory; it was more like really intense deja vu. He knew this town was close to him somehow, but that isn't the reason the nostalgia nearly floors him.

He's always lived with this heartache he couldn't understand, but arriving here, that seems to multiply tenfold. He has no idea what could have caused it or why it's there, nor can he deny it.

"Are you coming Vegeta- _senpai_?" He turns to his coworker, steeling his expression as he nods. He'd deal with it later.

The company's construction is finished; all that was left was to get the employees settled in. Vegeta isn't a very sociable person, so while the rest of his coworkers are mingling as they set up, he finishes quickly.

This lets him head outside to explore his connection to the place, considering their branch won't be effective for a few days yet.

As he wanders around, an uneasy feeling stirs in his chest. Everything is familiar, but also seems touched by a darkness that is just as familiar.

A newspaper stand catches his eye. Particularly a section of the front page.

A homicide had just been considered a cold case after five years of no leads. The cause of death: asphyxiation. 

He scans the article for the name of the victim.

Kakarot.

That intrigues him. No first and last name? Like him.

Further reading states that the name was an alias, and the real name never revealed, but that nags at Vegeta oddly.

Vegeta ends up buying the newspaper, since the newsstand owner wouldn't let him read more otherwise. He finds a quaint café and decides some coffee with the paper was a decent idea.

Kakarot had been former military, then a government spy during the last few years of his life. What was most interesting about the case, however, was that all traces of whoever 'Kakarot' was (before the supposed "alias") had vanished. Only the bare minimum, a birth date, remained.

Nobody even knew when he had first moved in. When interviewed, the neighbors had said his secretive life drew attention in the small town, particularly because Kakarot was described by all as an extremely friendly person.

His partner, however? No one could recall his existence at all. It wasn't until after Kakarot's death that they discovered he had even _had_ a partner.

The murder was speculated to have been a fairly typical domestic abuse case. The only thing that was not typical was how little information _anyone_ had on the couple. Another weird issue was that it seemed the information had all been wiped weeks, if not months, before the murder.

Since there were only two people who would have had access to _their_ identity information, it was speculated to have been a premeditated murder.

"Are you reading about the murder case from five years ago? It's probably the only reason anyone would still buy a newspaper." A voice from next to him interrupts Vegeta's pondering. He turns and comes face to face with a woman with blue hair and an outgoing smile.

"Do you know about it?" The woman laughs lightly, taking the seat across from him and sitting down leisurely. "This is a small town. Who _doesn't_ know? Except for you, I suppose. Are you new here?" She leans forward, as though hanging on Vegeta's every word.

"Yeah. I was transferred since my company's opening a branch here."

"Ooh, from where?"

"America."

"I've always wanted to go to America! Is it true that everything's bigger there?" She gives him a smirk that he understands, but refuses to acknowledge.

"The food, I guess. Anyway, what do you know about this case?"

"Well, _first off_ , my name's Bulma Briefs. Nice to meet you!"

Vegeta had seen the Briefs' name plastered nearly everywhere in the town. "Capsule Corp. I'm Vegeta."

"Yup! I'm the CEO! And that's it? Just... Vegeta?"

"Yeah." He doesn't see the need to tell her he can't remember any other name. "So, the case?"

The way Bulma looks at him changes. From a flirty interest to an observing gaze, calculative. "Right, the case. It's full of weird details, right? Another one I discovered was that all the money in the couple's account had been moved to an entirely different one less than a week before the murder, and you know who moved it? Kakarot himself."

"Where did you hear this?"

"I have my ways. I also have a friend on the police force who told me in absolute confidence that, get this, they actually can pinpoint who erased all the information about the couple." She pauses, it seems, for dramatic effect. Vegeta has to quell the urge to tell her to hurry the hell up.

"Also Kakarot."

Now _that_ didn't make sense. "Why would the _victim_ do that?"

"That's what no one can figure out. That's why they've declared it a cold case. All the evidence is _poof_! Gone."

"The cause of death was asphyxiation. No fingerprints?"

Bulma shakes her head. "Fingerprints on skin are extremely difficult to pick up. And the house held no fingerprints at all, whether from Kakarot or his partner. It's like… nobody even lived there."

"Do you know where the house is?"

"Yeah, of course!"

"Tell me. Please."

Bulma grins. "You're in luck! I'm free today, so I can show you. _And_ , since the case was recently declared cold, it should still be empty, but it won't be considered an active crime scene anymore."

Vegeta isn't _too_ sure about hanging out with her ㅡ she seems too energetic for him ㅡ but he also realizes that he didn't have a choice.

"Alright, thanks. Let's go, then." Vegeta finishes his coffee, places his payment down on the table, and stands up. "H-hey, wait!" Bulma is left having to scramble after him as he walks quickly away.

"What's got you in a hurry?"

"The branch I work for will be open in a couple of days so I don't have much time."

"What's with the interest in this, anyway?" Bulma changes her line of questioning as she leads the way.

"Intrigue. Plus I'm a salaryman, I'm bored. Humor me."

"Why, at your service, Prince," Bulma taunts him, dipping into an exaggerated curtsy.

Vegeta ignores her. She clicks her tongue in annoyance, but eventually can't keep from babbling about whatever was going on in her life.

This woman could probably talk the ear off of anything. It wasn't usually something he could stand, but something about her upbeat attitude, and the constant chatter, felt familiar to him.

Comforting, even.

They finally arrive at the house, a fairly nondescript one, nothing out of the ordinary. Bulma's talking again, but Vegeta can hardly hear it; his heartbeat thuds loudly in his ears, and Bulma's voice falls to the backdrop.

He walks toward the house slowly, but without stopping. He's drawn to it, an invisible force coaxing him in.

Vegeta's pretty damn smart, but right now, he's going to ignore the way this little investigation of his is melding with the nagging feeling in his soul, uncomfortably natural.

This feels like the answer; Vegeta is terrified of the question.

"-Geta!"

_'Geta!_

"Vegeta! Hey, what's wrong? I've been calling you!" The man in question turns to Bulma with wide eyes, blinking the haze out of his mind. He looks around; he's made it to the front door.

Bulma's still looking at him expectantly, deep blue eyes scrutinizing. She was more intelligent and calculating than she made herself out to be, than Vegeta gave her credit for.

"Sorry, I get these weird flashes of… incoherence, I guess you could say. Probably from the military…"

_Military?_

"You're a veteran?"

"Uh… yes."

He doesn't tell her that he can't remember if that's actually the case.

"Huh. Well, I won't ask you to get into it, bet it's tough. You ready to go in?" The sympathy is surprising, but mostly because Vegeta isn't a very trusting person.

Either way, it was appreciated. Vegeta gives her a nod. He gently turns the doorknob and pushes open the door.

The interior is sparsely furnished; the layout fairly simple. To the right of the door is the kitchen, and separated from the dining area by a low wall on one side. The only thing there, is a table containing six chairs.

In front of them is a living room with a single couch facing a television mounted on a wall and a coffee table.

To the left are three doors ㅡ one opens to a storage closet, another to a bathroom, and the third to a bedroom.

Each of these rooms contained about as much personality as a hotel room; only the bare minimum existed, and nothing else.

"Have they touched anything?" Vegeta asks Bulma who's looking around, mouth agape. She shakes her head. "No. They weren't kidding when they said it was like no one had lived here."

Vegeta makes his way slowly around the residence, taking in everything. He doesn't get any more blank-outs, but the feeling of everything falling into place mingles heavily with a sense of wrong, wrong, _wrong_.

He continues to look around, but nothing of any coherence surfaces. Eventually, he decides he won't learn any more. "Let's just go."

Bulma doesn't question him, but she does look at him with another odd gaze. "Thanks, for today. I've got to get my apartment set up, so I'll take my leave." Vegeta wasn't one for lengthy small talk.

"Um, yeah, no problem! Let me know if you need anything more, or if you find anything else out!" Bulma calls after him as he strides away.

The apartment the company gave him is already furnished; simply, but it suited Vegeta just fine.

He knows he should ensure that everything he needs for work is ready, but he can't be assed to, especially after the day he's had. He takes out the bottle of whiskey and pours himself a glass, plopping a large cube of ice in.

Vegeta sits on the couch and turns the TV on, but as he mindlessly flips through channels, nothing catches his interest enough to wrench his thoughts from the mystery he had encountered today.

He runs over every detail he knows of the case so far, but instead of getting anything useful, all he keeps going back to is the uneasy attachment he felt to that place.

He drinks himself to sleep, drowning his emotions with ethanol.

_"'Geta, baby? It's okay… hey, I'm here. Are y'in there?"_

_A fake. It's a disguise._

_He doesn't register his body moving. The being with the kind eyes and sweet voice disappears; a monster morphs to take their place._

_He can't hear or feel anything, can only see the distorted countenance leering up at him._

_A choked out "Ve...geta" brings forth a singular moment of clarity._

_His eyes refocus. The beautiful human is back, pale lips curving into a weak smile at noticing Vegeta's coherence._

_His grip loosens._

_"Ka…" He doesn't know the name. His consciousness is fluttering; he's losing control of the clarity._

_"It's… okay. I love you."_

_Vegeta pulls back quickly then, a stab of understanding skewering him. "Baby…"_

_But before he can apologize, make things right, his fragile lucidity snaps._

_The creature is back. "What did you do with the angel?!" Vegeta hisses angrily, mind swirling with murder._

_"Give him back, you monster!"_

Vegeta wakes up in the morning with tears on his face, an ache in his heart, and no reason why.

《¤》

"Hey Vegeta, thanks for meeting me!" Bulma greets him outside of her mansion.

Vegeta nods curtly. "You said you had something to show me?"

Bulma nods enthusiastically. "Yeah! Come with me!" She links an arm with his and pulls him along. Or at least tries to, but Vegeta _hates_ being dragged. He yanks his arm out of her hold. "I can follow you just fine."

Bulma pouts in disappointment, but she doesn't protest. They walk for quite some time ㅡ this place was freakishly huge ㅡ before arriving at a room that has "Bulma's office - don't enter without permission!" on a laminated sign on the door.

"So, remember my friend on the police force? Since it's considered cold, I asked him if he had any evidence he could give me about the case. After some convincing, he let me see the picture of the victim post-mortem." Bulma rummages through a desk stacked with paperwork before emerging with a manila folder.

She flips it open and lays it on the desk. "Here." She gestures to Vegeta to come closer. He does, heart rate building steadily.

The victim is male, with thick, black hair. A sturdy, muscular frame contrasts gentle facial features. The victim's eyes are closed, but with a sinking feeling, Vegeta bets _anything_ the irises are a gorgeous obsidian. 

Putting a face to the name bombards Vegeta with memories so quickly, intensely.

He remembers first meetings; the testing site for boot camp wasn't the most romantic, but that man could make it so.

_"Oooh, did y'cook that?" The stranger leans over, peering interestedly at his lunch. It puts Vegeta on edge, but the stranger isn't particularly threatening._

_"Uh, yeah." A smile brighter than the sun is aimed at him. "That's awesome! I suck at cooking so sandwiches are where it's at for me," He adds, waving a sandwich at Vegeta._

_Vegeta surveys his companion. Taller than Vegeta by nearly a head, the stranger is a fairly sizable man, all muscles. Vegeta doesn't think one or two sandwiches would be enough._

_"Would you… like some?" Vegeta isn't really sure why he's even bothering, but he tells himself it's because he has more than enough._

_(Although if he were to be honest with himself, he only ever made enough for one person.)_

_The stranger shakes his head with a grin. "Nah, I couldn't take your food when y'worked hard on it for yourself. Don't worry, this'll be enough."_

_It's Vegeta's turn to shake his head. "I'm not particularly hungry today, and I don't want my cooking to go to waste. Might as well share it with someone who'll appreciate it."_

_The stranger is silent for a second, before he smiles again. "Well, alright, if y'insist. Thank you. Name's Kakarot."_

_"Vegeta."_

_"Can I call you 'Geta?"_

_"Uh, sure?"_

_"Cool!" Good lord, this man had a gorgeous smile. "Nice to meet you, 'Geta!"_

He remembers the warmest existence amongst the hardened soldiers trained to be frigid.

_"Hey! Fancy running into you here, 'Geta!"_

_Vegeta is mildly surprised. "You remember me." Nobody ever really bothered to, except to label him as 'angry'._

_"Of course, I'd never forget someone like you! Do y' remember me?"_

_"Kakarot." The name rolled perfectly off of Vegeta's tongue._

_A beam splits the taller's face. Vegeta wonders how he got in here being as bright as he is._

_"Y'got it! Hopefully we stick together?" An encroaching warmth is enveloping Vegeta faster than he can protest._

_"Hopefully."_

He remembers living as a spy, how that man had saved Vegeta more times than he could count.

_Vegeta is trying not to sulk, but he hates feeling useless. Kakarot has had to save him once again._

_A presence interrupts his self-pity, taking a seat beside him. "Hey 'Geta."_

_Vegeta sighs. "Kakarot." He can't stay mad at him. Besides, it's not like Vegeta's uselessness is Kakarot's fault._

_"You're not useless, y'know."_

_How did Kakarot know what he was thinking?_

_"You're always fucking saving me."_

_"I'd save you from anything and anyone, 'Geta. Even from yourself."_

He remembers when he had decided to stop fucking around and give that man the life he deserved, or die trying.

_"Marry me. I know I'm not really the best partner nor am I very good with emotions and I've got the shortest fuse and-" It was uncharacteristic of Vegeta to ramble, but he was trying to ask the love of his life to be his husband._

_So he was a little nervous; sue him._

_"It's okay 'Geta, I'd love to marry you." Kakarot quiets him with a gentle kiss._

_There was no fanfare, no grand celebration, as it was with them. They got married with a judge as their only audience. The legalities were an afterthought to the way they joined together with identical bands on their fingers._

_They were still spies, so married life for them wasn't typical, but that was fine. As long as they were together, they could deal with anything, do everything._

He doesn't quite remember when he first started to lose it. Which was probably par for the course anyway. He does remember that man being there, every step of the way.

The first time he dipped below coherence, and the first time he resurfaced. And every time after that.

Whenever Vegeta returned to lucidity, onyx eyes and a relieved smile always greeted him.

_"You're back! I'm here, 'Geta."_

These memories unfold rapidly; now that the realization has started, it shows no sign of stopping. It's as though there had been a cork over his memories, and someone shook it before releasing it.

_It's okay, I love you._

The words repeat in his head, a terrible mantra. He feels sick to his stomach.

_I'd save you from anything and anyone. Even from yourself._

Vegeta doesn't realize when he staggers out of Bulma's office. He doesn't hear her calling him. He doesn't register his surroundings except for the distance to the exit.

The air is suddenly too thin, the walls too close together.

He runs and runs until he can't anymore. And even then, he keeps running. Even when his lungs stop taking in more air, even with the growing stitch in his side, he runs.

Vegeta eventually comes upon a building under construction and before he can think about it, he's making a beeline for the stairs. He takes it the whole way up, never stopping until he emerges through a door labeled 'Roof'.

He stumbles to the edge, peering over. The drop hardly fazes him. His vision blurs; tears he doesn't feel, fall and disappear.

_Vegeta blinks his eyes slowly open. A white ceiling greets him. He turns his head. White walls and two gray chairs. Turning the other way only yields more white walls._

_He sits up._

_He's in a hospital, judging by how everything is in a blinding, sterile white. An IV tube is stuck into his arm, and then, a nurse walks in._

_"Oh, you're up, good. Give me a second while I call the doctor." She walks back out and in the matter of a few minutes, walks back in with another woman in a doctor's coat._

_"Hello, my name is Dr. Miko. Do you remember how you got here?"_

_Vegeta thinks hard. "... No." He doesn't like that answer, nor does he like the way the doctor and nurse share a look._

_"Well, you were found in a ditch and brought here. When we attempted to check you in, nothing turned up. Can you remember your name?"_

_'Geta. "Vegeta." The doctor looks like she wants to ask about the singular name, but she doesn't._

_"Alright, Mr. Vegeta. Can you remember anything else?"_

_Nothing comes to mind. "Where am I?"_

_"This is Okayama. Do you remember where you came from?"_

_A long pause. "Kurashiki."_

_"Are there any relations we can call to come get you?"_

_Was there? He couldn't remember. What was important about Kurashiki?_

_"No."_

"Kakarot." Vegeta mutters dazedly, still teetering on the edge.

_Vegeta_ had taken the angel away. Vegeta had taken it _all_ away.

The monster, was him.

"Baby. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." His lament goes unheard; he utters apologies to the air. Even after Vegeta had killed him, Kakarot still protected him.

His eyes focus once more. Train on the ground _far_ below. Inviting.

Maybe he could join his angel.

But of course he couldn't. For what Vegeta did, he wouldn't go where Kakarot went.

The pastel sunset contrasts with the beckon of the abyss.

The call of the void caresses his ear. It would be simple. Just a tilt forward, he would close his eyes, and then, nothing.

_You protected me. Now let me pay you back._

"Whatcha doin'?"

A bright voice pierces through the darkness like a well-placed arrow. Vegeta whirls around.

Beautiful ebony irises, lightly suntanned skin, and a youthful face lit up with a gentle grin. His hair is thick, and jet-black.

"Kakarot?" Vegeta's voice shakes. The stranger smiles in sympathy. He comes near, holding out his hand for Vegeta to take.

In his bewilderment, he does.

The man pulls him off the roof's ledge, and the smile he gives Vegeta stirs up memories of falling in love, the tingling feeling that makes you want to float.

"Who's Kakarot?"

"He is- was… everything." Vegeta doesn't know how to explain it, doesn't know what to say. "Who are you?"

The smile grows brighter. _Good lord this man had a gorgeous smile._

"Name's Son Goku! How 'bout you, mysterious man on the roof?"

"Vegeta."

"Can I call you 'Geta?"

_"I'd save you from anything and anyone. Even from yourself."_

"Yeah."

_I love you. I'm sorry._

_"It's okay, I love you."_


	5. the bane of your existence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> soft and angsty Vegeta :) 
> 
> enough said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A songfic based off of Illenium's [Take You Down](https://open.spotify.com/track/6f1oG9hTx3NETgV6q4rkw5?si=7LQxhjQyTmuAmxTMakvBnA)

**_I didn't mean to hurt you when I hurt myself_ **

**_It's just an empty voice screaming out for help_ **

Vegeta growls as he punches a training robot to oblivion. The intense weight of the gravity in this room doubles as a way for him to squash the ache in his heart.

He pours his all into training, doing his best to forget the greatest fuck up of his life yet.

He tells himself it was necessary. It does nothing to erase the pain his once-beautiful memories cause him, but he does his best to try and keep convincing himself that this is what had needed to be done.

(It doesn't really take away the dread that this is the worst mistake he'll ever make.)

**_No, I didn't mean to scare you_ **

**_But I couldn't see_ **

**_That when I went to hell I was taking you with me_ **

Kakarot was an angel; Vegeta, the devil.

He knew that, ever since he first met Kakarot and despite having just tried to kill him, the loveable goofball had spared Vegeta. He knew it, through the years of their rivalry, and as it turned to friendship. And he knew it after they had decided to take their friendship further, more intimately.

Still, he had held on. Kakarot was among one of the best things he had ever had in his life, and because of that selfishness, because of what he desired, Vegeta had dragged Kakarot and his pure spirit into the hell he resided in.

He couldn't do that to him any longer.

Before, Vegeta might have said " _fuck it_ " and lived for his own happiness and nothing ㅡ and no one ㅡ else's.

But nobody deserved that, least of all Kakarot.

**_When I close my eyes_ **

**_I'm climbing in the dark_ **

**_Trying not to fall apart_ **

For as long as Vegeta can remember, he's lived in hell.

At the whims of a madman who saw his race as grotesquely inferior, having to defer to he who had caused the annihilation of his entire home planet. A slave to someone he hated more than _anything_.

(And Vegeta hated _a lot_ of things.)

He had hardly known his father, before he was massacred along with the majority of his race.

His entire life has been a battle between his individuality and his survival. Even without a throne to inherit, Vegeta had carried the weight of being the Prince of Saiyans since he was old enough to be aware.

He didn't trust very often, and let himself be vulnerable even less.

Having learned to hide anything other than his ardent pride since he was a child led to this repression of his emotion.

Though it was more like a nullification.

**_Sometimes I get so high_ **

**_Falling is the only out I see_ **

**_And I don't wanna take you down with me_ **

And yet, this nullification couldn't erase the need to soar with _him_. This desire grew, filling every cell until Vegeta was certain he would explode if he never got off the ground.

But Vegeta flew too high. Kakarot had been the dream he hadn't even realized he'd wanted, but when he had him, he got greedy, overconfident; he flew too close to the sun. He forgot that his place was in the realms below.

The descent was painful, but Vegeta knew it was what he deserved.

He could no longer bog Kakarot down in the mire of his life, the murk of his character.

**_You're the love in my heart_ **

Vegeta did not particularly like the word 'love'. He thought it a trifle, and hardly gave its meaning much thought.

He considered the Earthlings that pined desperately for love, pathetic. Love had no place in battle therefore, it was useless.

Or so he thought.

Until Kakarot showed him that love and passion could be, and often were, just as ferocious as battle. Loving did not mean weakness, nor was it a hindrance; in fact, the ability to love and be loved freely, spoke of unrelenting strength.

It took him some time to realize that he loved Bulma when previously, he mostly considered it his due diligence to protect and care for her. Oddly enough, it was Kakarot who helped him with this, too.

And yet, it took Vegeta longer than it should have, to admit that he loved Kakarot, _everything_ about him.

He loved the way Kakarot approached life: with exuberance and resilience. He was cheerful, friendly, and remarkably unbothered.

Vegeta should know, having had years of his insults slide off of Kakarot's skin with just a chuckle.

He loved the way Kakarot saw other people. Always seeing the good in them ㅡ something that worked out in Vegeta's favor that fateful first meeting, and something that he would _always_ be grateful to Kakarot for.

He loved how Kakarot accepted all of him, as he was, complete with his barbed wire words and quick temper. Whenever Vegeta got particularly prickly, Kakarot liked to take his hand and gently trace the lines of his palm, sitting quietly to allow Vegeta to rant and rave until the gradual patterns being drawn against his skin calmed him down.

But he also loved that if he was saying some seriously stupid shit, whether out of anger or otherwise, Kakarot never hesitated to call him out. He listened, but didn't cower. And though Vegeta would be hard-pressed to ever admit it, he learned a lot.

He loved that Kakarot could tell when he was in a bad mood, and would suggest they spar because Kakarot understood that a good one-on-one was all it took, because that was their love language, the way they connected with each other best.

It might seem dysfunctional to others, but to them, that was love.

**_This life is like a razor_ **

**_When it cuts, I bleed_ **

**_But it’s in my hand and I’m doing it to me_ **

Mostly, he loved that Kakarot loved _him_ , even when Vegeta knew that _he_ knew that he didn’t deserve it.

Vegeta was a hazard, all jagged edges and sharp corners. He had gotten used to the way his piercing existence flayed him; he didn’t want to hurt anyone else.

He didn’t want to hurt Kakarot. A beautiful being such as he was, deserved to be worshipped, not scarred.

_Oh, how the times had changed._

**_Sometimes it’s like an ocean_ **

**_And it gets too deep_ **

**_And there’s no way that now you could rescue me_ **

Vegeta used to be someone who coasted through the turbulence of life, fighting to get what he wanted, skimming over lives he deemed didn’t matter as much as he did.

Although in reality, he supposes he had just been slowly sinking. Because now he was completely submerged. Drowning underneath the memory of the souls he's taken, the innocent lives he destroyed.

And he wouldn't mind the suffocating weight of this, he knows he deserves it. Has to atone for it.

But there's no way he's asking Kakarot to save him. His pride won't let him. And besides, there's no reason Kakarot should have to suffer a slow, agonizing death too.

So Vegeta had to let him go. _Make him_ , if that's what it took.

**_You need to let it go now_ **

**_Before you drown_ **

Goku roars, a giant column of sparking energy arces out from his hands, obliterating a nearby rock formation. The only thing keeping him from going until exhaustion was the fact that he didn't want to level this entire ecosystem, as barren as it might seem on the surface.

The more he thinks about it, the angrier he gets. And he's been stewing over this for weeks.

Vegeta's reason for breaking up with him was that Goku deserved better.

Goku thought that was ridiculous. _And_ infuriating, the fact that Vegeta thought he even had a right in deciding that.

But Vegeta hadn't even bothered to listen and even had the gall to do it _over the phone_.

"Stupid, bossy Vegeta with his stupid complex," Goku mutters under his breath, fueling the fires of his righteous indignation. The only reason he had given Vegeta space for a few weeks was because sometimes that was all he needed, and then they could talk and work it out.

But he was tired of waiting. If Vegeta didn't want to fight to save their relationship, then Goku would.

He does a quick reach for Vegeta's _ki,_ but when he can't find it, he knows exactly where to check first.

In the blink of an eye, he's inside the Gravity Room in Capsule Corp. As predicted, the love of his life and bane of his existence is smashing through training robots with a savagery they definitely didn't deserve.

Dende knows how long he's spent in here, absolutely decimating those poor machines.

Goku doesn't even get time to think about the possible consequences of saying that before Vegeta recognizes his presence. He ceases his barrage and shuts off the gravity controls.

"What are you doing here?" Vegeta can't bring himself to face Goku, in the event that the sting in his eyes isn't just from sweat.

"Y' wouldn't see me."

"For good reason. I told you we were over."

"And I'm here t' tell ya we're not."

Vegeta can't stop from turning to glare at him. "You can't just decide that, Kakarot."

"Y'did that when ya decided, for _me_ , what I "deserve"."

"That's- that's different! That's true!"

"Says who?!"

"Says- _I_ say it!"

"Well _I_ don't!"

Goku's glare matches his. Pride flares in Vegeta's chest, burning as hot as the love that wells out of him despite how hard he tries to stamp it out.

**_I know that you won't understand_ **

**_But you need to let go of this hand_ **

"You don't get it."

"Then _help me_! What if yer what's better for me?! Why can't it be ya?"

"Because I'm _not_! I'm- I have a lot of innocent blood on my hands. That isn't someone who deserves love! And certainly not one like you."

" _Why not_?! Yer not like that anymore! Besides, are'ya sayin' Piccolo doesn't deserve love? Or Buu? People can change. Includin' ya."

Vegeta hates that Kakarot is making sense. He's losing all his confidence in his decision, and Vegeta hates that.

"I'm _fucked,_ Kakarot. I'm beyond saving."

**_'Cause I'm going down_ **

**_And I don't wanna take you down with me_ **

"I don't wanna save ya, Vegeta," Goku sighs exasperatedly. "I jus' wanna be with ya. I want'cha t' jus' let me love ya."

The wings of hope unfurl, fluttering in Vegeta's chest. He's rapidly running out of excuses, but he isn't as irked about it as he thought he might be. "But- I don't want to drag you down, too." He doesn't even stop to think about how that might sound.

Goku crosses the distance between them with a couple strides, taking Vegeta's hands. "Yer not strong enough."

Goku grins at him cheekily. Vegeta means to glare, but his body doesn't get the memo; the corners of his lips turn up in amusement.

"But bein' serious," Goku's expression changes, fixing Vegeta with a stare that searches the depths of his soul. "Y' wouldn't be draggin' me anywhere, because I'd follow ya everywhere. So unless the reason is that ya don't wanna be with me, I'm gonna keep buggin' ya 'til y'stop bein' so damn stubborn."

Vegeta opens his mouth. The words are on his tongue. All Vegeta has to do is say them, to save _him_.

A fucking cake walk.

Kakarot's still staring at him, intense as all hell. Irises of obsidian have never seemed darker, yet more comforting. Bottomless, but not unknown. They told of possibilities and held more hope than Vegeta had ever seen in all his years of life thus far.

And he finds he can't say those all-important words. He can't bring himself to utter that lie.

"'M not askin' ya what'cha think _I_ need," Kakarot says, sending a shiver down Vegeta's spine at the accuracy with which he pinpoints Vegeta's thoughts.

"'M askin' what y' want."

"I want…"

_Was there any question what Vegeta wanted? Had there ever been any question?_

Faced with Kakarot's expectant gaze, Vegeta can't quite remember why he had been asking a question in the first place.

_Did he dare?_

"But I can't have-"

Kakarot sighs again with that same exasperated fondness. " _Not_ what ya think y'can't have, not what ya think y'don't deserve. What do ya _want_ , Vegeta?"

_Maybe Kakarot was right_. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad for him to give in to his selfishness, one last time.

"You."

A single word was all it took.

Goku wraps his arms around Vegeta's waist and hoists him up, planting an impassioned kiss. When he pulls away, he's grinning so brightly Vegeta almost has to turn away.

"'Bout _damn_ time."

"Shut the fuck up."

Another kiss cements the conclusion, signaling the end of the decades-long dance they'd skirted around each other. They were free to love, and be loved, and they would do just that.

**Author's Note:**

> I welcome any suggestions for drabbles that you may have or want to see! :) there's very little I won't attempt to write, but I will notify you if there is.


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